People's Republic of China

Chinese Economic Performance in the Long Run - Second Edition

Chinese economic prospects for the next 30 years will not be diminished by the international financial crisis, says the author of Chinese Economic Performance in the Long Run, Angus Maddison, as he launches the second edition of the book (French version) on 2 December 2008. The launch was part of a seminar series entitled “China: 30 years of development success – what lessons for the next 30 years?”, organised between October and December 2008 by development institutes and think tanks worldwide, at the initiative of DFID China. The Chinese and English-language versions were launched in Beijing by OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría.

The Book

Prior to 1890 China was the world’s largest economy. Chinese Economic Performance in the Long Run: 960-2030 AD uses a comparative approach to explain why China’s role in the world economy has changed so dramatically in the last thousand years. It concludes that China is likely to resume its role as the world’s largest economy by the year 2015, thus regaining the position it had held until 1890. Written by the OECD bestselling author, Angus Maddison, this book is essential reading for all those who seek to understand the role of China in the world economy, in the past, as well as in the present and future. Employing quantitative measurement techniques standard in OECD counties the study provides a major reassessment of the scale and scope of China’s resurgence over the past half century. Dynamic links (StatLinks) are provided for each table and graph in the book, which direct readers to a web-site where the data can be downloaded in Excel® format.

The Author

Angus Maddison was Emeritus Professor of Economic Growth and Development at the University of Groningen. He held a number of senior posts at OEEC and OECD between 1953 and 1978, and has been a policy advisor to governments in Brazil, Ghana, Greece, Mexico and Pakistan. He authored more than 20 books on the long run performance of nations, and their interactions within the world economy. He has built up an international network of scholars working in this field. He was a fellow of the British Academy, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science, and an honorary fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge.LATE NOTE: Angus Maddison passed away on 24 April 2010.

What they say about this book:

"The book is a must for anyone who wants to understand the past and the future of the Chinese economy."Justin Yifu Lin, Founding Director, China Center for Economic Research, Peking University.

"This second edition is a very impressive and important contribution to a subject that has deep significance for the world economy."Professor Lawrence Klein, Nobel Laureate.

"This review of a millenium of Chinese economic history and its implications for the future of China and the World is a remarkable achievement. A must read for anyone interested in China."Dwight H. Perkins, Harvard University.

"A great masterpiece in the field of economic history, the shoulders of a giant on which new generations of scholars from all over the world will stand. We Chinese scholars will benefit as greatly from this second edition as we have from the first."Li Bozhong, Professor of History, Tsinghua University, Beijing.

How to obtain this publication

The complete edition of the second and revised edition of Chinese Economic Performance in the Long Run, is available from: